A lawsuit settlement has been reached between a mother who said her mentally disabled daughter was raped and the Catholic church.

Silvia Gameros filed the 2009 lawsuit in Daviess Circuit Court against the Catholic Diocese of Evansville, Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church, and three church officials and employees, including Gameros’ former friend, Kande Batz. The parties reached a confidential settlement agreement on Dec. 12, court records say.

The suit alleged that church officials tried to cover up a 2007 rape of Gameros’ then-23-year-old daughter, blamed the the young woman for what happened, suggested she take a “morning-after” pill to prevent pregnancy and even aided in the rape suspect’s criminal defense.

The incident happened during a retreat sponsored by the diocese’s Guadalupe Center. Gameros accused church officials and Batz, who were outreach workers at the center, of failing to protect her daughter, who had the mental capacity of an 11-year-old.

In court filings, church attorneys had said no one was aware of the woman's mental state or had agreed to directly supervise her. They also said the woman consented to the sexual encounter.

Fredy Mendez-Morales, then 25, was charged with rape and later agreed to a plea deal that resulted in a 10-year prison sentence and deportation to El Salvador. He also said the sex was consensual and he didn’t know that Gameros’ daughter was developmentally disabled.

Morales is also one of the defendants in the civil lawsuit, but he is not included in the settlement because he failed to respond to the 2009 complaint, according to documents. Morales was ordered to pay restitution of about $1 million, though whether Gameros will receive any money from him seems unlikely.